In a recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is removably mounted on a carriage having an ink jet recording head, that is provided a retaining mechanism that is capable of preventing removal of the carriage by moving the carriage in printing and that is also capable of releasing engagement therebetween easily by external operation.
In Japanese patent publication No. JP-A-10-44451, there is constructed a constitution in which in two side surfaces of a cartridge main body opposed to each other, one of the side surfaces is formed with a projected portion engaging with an ink cartridge mounting portion, further, other of the side surfaces is formed with a claw at a pivotable lever and in a state in which the projected portion is engaged with the ink cartridge mounting portion, the other surface is moved to constitute a rotation fulcrum by the projected portion to thereby engage the claw of the lever to the ink cartridge mounting portion.
However, the mounting mechanism is a mechanism of pivoting to mount the ink cartridge and it is difficult to apply the mechanism to an ink cartridge having a mounting mechanism forming an ink flow path by inserting an ink supply needle communicating with a recording head to an ink supply port of the ink cartridge.
That is, the ink supply needle is provided with a predetermined length in order to secure assured communication with the ink cartridge and therefore, there is a concern that the ink supply needle can break or be damaged when the ink supply needle is subjected to external force in a direction other than an axial direction of the ink supply needle and therefore, the ink cartridge needs to move in parallel with a length direction of the ink supply needle.
Further, there has also been proposed an ink cartridge which is made to be insertable to an ink supply needle by forming elastically deformable levers having claw portions to be engaged with an ink cartridge mounting portion at two surfaces of a container containing ink opposed each other as is seen in JP-A-9-11500.
In such a constitution, it has previously been proposed by the applicant to give perceptible mounting feeling for a user and give resistance feeling by resiliency providing means of a spring or the like in a direction opposed to an insertion direction to be able to detach the cartridge without exerting unreasonable force to the cartridge.
According to the constitution, the spring member needs to provide to either of the ink cartridge or the cartridge mounting portion and a problem of an increase in a number of parts is posed.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide an ink cartridge capable of being securely fixed to a cartridge mounting portion of an ink cartridge, providing cartridge mounting feeling and assisting to detach the cartridge.